Gov. Patrick: State response will provide beds for addicts in Taunton, rest of Mass.

Saturday

Mar 29, 2014 at 9:51 PMDec 30, 2014 at 3:58 PM

Marc Larocque Enterprise Staff Writer @Enterprise_Marc

Gov. Deval Patrick said that he applauds civic leaders in Taunton who are working to be a part of a solution to the heroin abuse problem plaguing the city and region.

Suspected heroin overdoses have claimed 140 lives in Massachusetts during the last several months, including nine deaths in Taunton during 2014 alone, according to police and Patrick’s administration.

During an interview with the Taunton Gazette, Patrick was confronted with the city’s latest overdose statistics. He emphasized the problem is not Silver City-specific.

“My reaction is to take that and add it to other cities where the same phenomenon is happening and to declare public health emergency,” Patrick said. “It’s not the only place where we are seeing a significant spike in unintentional overdoses. It’s not the only place where we’ve seen the widespread availability of potent heroin.”

On Thursday Patrick declared a public health emergency and announced a $20 million expansion in drug abuse treatment programs in Massachusetts in response to “an opiate epidemic.”

Responding to some local officials’ hopes that Taunton State Hospital could be converted into a long-term addiction facility to serve Southeastern Massachusetts, Patrick said he would not rule it out.

“Everything is on the table,” said Patrick, who has taken steps to shut down Taunton State Hospital’s operation as a mental health facility.

Patrick called for a re-tasking of the state’s Interagency Council on Substance Abuse and Prevention, with added members from public health agencies, health service providers, law enforcement, the courts, families impacted by the opiate epidemic and municipalities, including Taunton Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr.

The council has been asked to make its recommendations in 60 days on how to address the crisis.

Patrick commended city leaders in Taunton who have brought the community’s heroin overdose issue to the forefront, explaining that they are instrumental in efforts to solve the problem. While speaking about the issue could conceivably tarnish Taunton’s image, Hoye said it’s more important to take an aggressive approach and tackle the deadly epidemic head on.

“I think that’s leadership,” Patrick said. “I think local leaders who have spoken up about it, who have brought the issue out of the shadows and into the light, are showing leadership. Leaders like that and others in the commonwealth, they are very important to these issues and very important to me. I think they will be part of the reason we will succeed.”

Responding to local concerns shared by Taunton police Chief Edward Walsh and others — that local treatment facility placements are simply unavailable for those seeking help kicking the habit — Patrick said his decision to expand services by $20 million and take further action will truly make a difference for addicts in the city who are desperately calling out for help.

Patrick said that the $20 million in expanded drug treatment services would not be spent evenly across Massachusetts, explaining that areas of the state requiring more assistance will receive a corresponding share of the funding.

Patrick said that the Interagency Council would make its recommendations and that the Department of Public Health would take further action after 60 days, to stop the epidemic from getting worse, to help those already addicted and to map out a long-term solution to end the crisis.

“They are taking and will take information about what is happening on the ground from every region of the commonwealth, including the southeast, and give action steps,” Patrick said. “It may be that it gets spent in greater concentration in one region than another, or two particular kinds of responses, like treatment beds versus another.”

Patrick said one of the subjects he wants the DPH to examine is the effectiveness of injectable Vivitrol as a drug addiction treatment option, citing its suppressive qualities in reining in the urges of addicts to use heroin or opiates.

“I want them to look whether the use of injectable Vivitrol, for example ... is more effective than methadone or suboxone,” Patrick said. “A lot of questions are out there. No governor will have all those answers. That’s why we are gathering all those people who have experienced this in law enforcement, the courts, family members, people recovering and public health safety experts to put minds together and give us a plan.”